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Queen for a Day

So the big day has come and gone. Recently, on August 15th, I had my first photo shoot! I had scheduled this shoot just as a reward for myself. Yes, I realize that this sounds very vain, and it IS kind of a vain thing to do, but I wanted to capture images of my body in the best condition it has ever been. I’ve been training and dieting very hard for this shoot and I’m extremely happy with the results!

Prepping for this shoot was definitely not easy. Consistent dieting and training day in and day out can really play with your mind. Your body doesn’t like it and it fights back the entire time. It’s a battle! But in the end, I won. I coerced it by eating the foods I enjoy and training the way I like to train throughout the entire journey.

During the week leading up to the shoot I kept my carbs pretty low just so I wouldn’t retain too much water. I kept my sodium levels as high as I normally do (I use salt…and I mean a lot of salt), and I drank water like it was my job. I only dropped my water intake 16 hours before the photo shoot. I was happy with my body before dropping water so I didn’t feel like I really needed to change things up too much. As a woman, I didn’t want to look too “dry” or veiny either. To help drop a little bit more water and help me sleep, I had a couple of glasses of red wine (yum!) that night. Dieting isn’t ALWAYS hard!

The morning of the shoot I kept my water intake to tiny sips and had a Snickers bar for breakfast, since they’re loaded with calories and sugar to give me some energy and maybe a little bit of a pump to my muscles. I arrived at the shoot a little early and met my photographer, Simon Howard, for the first time. He was a really friendly guy and made me feel comfortable immediately. I think this was huge for making me feel very relaxed in front of the camera. The shoot lasted between 2-3 hours and we took over 300 photos! It was so much fun! My photographer gave me tips on how to pose throughout the shoot and it was interesting to learn how uncomfortable and unnatural many of these poses feel, yet they look so natural and comfortable on camera.

After the shoot I was completely happy and satisfied with my work. I was on a high for the rest of the day! I couldn’t believe how well my pictures had come out! My husband took me out for lunch to celebrate and we both ordered cheeseburgers, chips (or fries), and a beer. And I must say, that was the MOST AMAZING burger I have EVER had! Many props to the Marquis de Cornwallis pub here in Bloomsbury, London. I was in a food coma for the rest of the day.

If you ever feel like you need that extra motivation or a push to help you achieve the body of your dreams a photo shoot will definitely do the trick! You’ll feel like a Queen for a day! All the attention is on you and it honestly feels fabulous.

A couple days after the shoot my husband and I left for a week-long trip to Ireland and Scotland. Needless to say, I am feeling a bit “squishy” after our holiday. Too much good food and beer are definitely to blame, but we really enjoyed ourselves! Now at home, we’re back in the game! I’m back to my regular diet and training and enjoying it again! A short break is all I needed to re-motivate myself. The girl you see in the pictures is the girl I want to be year round. It won’t be easy but anything easy isn’t worth having.